


Braids

by OnlyOneKingLoki



Category: Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: Cute, F/M, Fluffy Fluffiness From Fluffenhiem, Movie Night, hair-braiding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-10
Updated: 2014-06-10
Packaged: 2018-02-04 04:02:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1764733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnlyOneKingLoki/pseuds/OnlyOneKingLoki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The reader and Tom are having their weekly movie night, but the reader is afraid to tell Tom what she's feeling. </p><p>*Teen rating is only for language.*</p>
            </blockquote>





	Braids

I perused my shelf of DVD’s wondering which one Tom would choose tonight. I loved our movie nights, because I got to spend them with my best friend (who I just happened to be in love with). It wasn’t like I really had a chance with him, anyway; I mean, he was Tom Hiddleston, for fuck’s sake. He deserved to be with a gorgeous woman who was every bit as amazing as he was. I was astonished that he would even bother with our movie nights after all he’d been through and all he’d seen, but that was just Tom. I assumed that he was just coming back every week out of pity, even though he never made it seem that way. I felt a wave of melancholy roll over me and had to shake it off quickly when I heard the doorbell ring.

“Hey Tom,” I said ushering him inside with a smile and a quick hug. The way he always acted like I was important to him sort of made me want to go crawl under a rock. Who was I kidding? I was just wasting his time. Shutting the door, I shoved that thought away as he broke out one of those bright smiles that I adored so much and crushed me to his chest in a bear hug. I couldn’t help but laugh a little at the sudden hug attack.

“How’s my little firecracker doing?” He asked as he picked me up and spun me in a circle. I squealed a little holding onto him with an iron grip and he laughed his famous laugh, finally allowing me to stand on my own two feet. I looked up into his beautiful, joyful, blue eyes and couldn’t help but feel as if this was Heaven: his arms were still around me and his smile was still stuck on his face. I felt myself blush a little and turned my head a fraction to hide it.

“I’m fine. How did filming go for _Crimson Peak_?” I asked, leading him into the living room where we could relax. He chuckled and followed close at my heels.

“It went fine, darling, but how’ve you been? It’s been so long since we saw each other last! I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to get away for the last few weeks,” Tom said as we sat on the couch, and I shushed him with a wave of my hand.

“It’s fine, Tom. There’s no need for you to apologize! You’ve been really busy with filming and premiers and actor stuff. You’ve got to make a living somehow,” I replied, and he shook his head looking sad almost.

“I know, I know, but I just feel so guilty about not being able to see you for our movie nights. I hated the thought of you sitting here alone, laughing at a joke that I didn’t have the privilege to share with you,” Tom said reaching out and stroking my cheek. I felt my cheeks heating up again when his skin made contact with mine, and I tried to turn away enough to hide my face from his searching eyes. I registered the feeling of his hands framing my face and turning my head until I faced him again. “Hey, are you alright, darling?”

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine,” I said quietly, and I stood a little too quickly for it to be normal, and prayed he wouldn’t notice how nervous I was. I walked over to the DVD shelf, ignoring Tom’s confused expression, and looked at the little plastic cases. “S-So what are we watching tonight?”

I heard Tom stand up and walk over behind me before he wrapped his long arms around me. I froze, trying not to make my immobility noticeable, and he reached around me. I felt his chin rest on top of my head, and I fought not to gasp. He skimmed the spines of the DVD cases gently with his fingertip before sighing and bringing his arm back to wrap around me once more.

“I don’t really care, (y/n). As long as we watch whatever it is together, I’ll be happy,” he said, and I felt him press a kiss to the top of my head. Oh, God, what was happening? I couldn’t be feeling what I felt for him, at least, not while his arms were around me, not when he could easily find out. So I shoved my thoughts away, grabbed a random DVD, and, breaking his lovely warm embrace, put it into the player.

“Would you like something to drink or eat?” I asked, keeping my back to him as I walked over to the kitchen to grab whatever he wanted. He was silent for a moment, so I turned back to look at him. A small frown adorned his features; he looked so confused, and it made me feel guilty. I didn’t want him to feel like I was pushing him away, but I didn’t want to tell him how I really felt, either, because that wouldn’t be fair to him. I didn’t want him to feel obligated to return my feelings, and I knew that he would if I told him first. “Something wrong?”

Tom forced a smile and hesitated a moment before answering me.

“No, of course not,” he said. I repeated my earlier question about sustenance. “Just a glass of water, thank you.”

I smiled and got it for him along with a can of soda for myself. I returned to the sofa and played the DVD, curling up a hand’s breadth from Tom like always. My legs were tucked under me, and my shoes were now discarded on the floor in a jumble. Tom had removed his, as well, and his socked feet now rested on the coffee table in front of us. A few minutes into the movie, which had turned out to be _The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones_ , I felt Tom’s hand gently clasping my own, and my heart nearly stopped. I looked over at our joined fingers and then at Tom, who I had noticed was staring at me. I felt a blush rising on my cheeks again, and I cursed my body’s responses to his normal ‘Tomishness’. I turned back to face the television screen, but a soft call of my name from Tom’s lips stopped me. I watched in wonder as Tom paused the movie with the remote and turned his whole body to face me. A boyish grin was on his face, and he looked like he was embarrassed to ask his next question, but he did anyway.

“I was wondering…Would you let me braid your hair?” I was completely taken aback at the question, and I didn’t really know how to respond or what to think about his odd request. “I’ll understand, of course, if you don’t want me to, but I’d really love it if you’d let me.”

“What’s brought this on?” I asked when I found my voice.

“I just…I’ve always loved touching your hair, and I remember you telling me once how you liked it when people played with your hair, so I thought we could kill two birds with one stone,” Tom said as his cheeks turned a light shade of pink. Then he frowned a little. “That sounded weird, didn’t it? Never mind, forget I said anything.”

He turned back around and tried to pull his fingers from mine, but I squeezed them once and he looked back at me. I smiled shyly and nodded once.

“You can, if you want to,” I said, and he smiled crookedly at me before telling me to turn around. So, I turned to face the arm of the sofa, removing my fingers from Tom’s grip, and pulled a hair tie from my wrist. I held it over my shoulder and Tom took it with a small ‘thank you’ when he scooted right up behind me. His legs sprawled out on either side of me, and I felt his abdomen pressing against my lower back. “So, how do you know how to braid hair?”

“Well, I _do_ have two sisters. The skills I picked up back when we were all under the same roof are all quite useful, but usually only for girls,” he said, and I giggled at his slightly scandalized tone.

“I can only imagine,” I said. I felt his fingers combing through my hair, working out a few errant tangles before separating my hair into three sections. One tangle was particularly difficult, and when it was finally worked out, Tom apologized profusely. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’m not tender-headed. You could yank on my hair every which way and I’d probably barely feel it.”

“I’d never do that, you know that, right? You know I’d never hurt you, don’t you?” He asked and he sounded so serious. I glanced over my shoulder, and Tom looked concerned.

“Oh, Tom, I know you wouldn’t, sweetheart! Whatever made you think that I thought you would?” I asked, and he smiled at the conviction in my voice.

“I just wanted to make sure you knew, love,” he said, and he began to weave my hair together in a perfect braid. I felt the elastic securing my hair in place just before Tom ran his hand over it and placed a kiss on the side of my neck. My mind went blank, and my breath caught in my throat. What was I supposed to do now? Should I turn around and kiss him the way that I’ve wanted to ever since I met him? Should I acknowledge it with a smile? I was spared the agony of making the decision on my own when Tom spoke again. “I-I’m so sorry, (y/n). I don’t know what came over me, I just…I-I couldn’t help myself, because I used to do that for my sisters.”

Well, that was it, then: he only thought of me as a sister.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright. There’s no harm done,” I said, even though there was. I didn’t know what he thought now. I turned back around, expecting Tom to have moved back to his spot, or at least to be on his way back, but I was shocked to find my face only inches from Tom’s. I caught myself before I could gasp, but I must’ve looked like a deer in headlights. Before I could move back, Tom wrapped an arm around my waist and moved the other up so he could cup my cheek with his palm. I felt myself tipping forward a bit, off balance from Tom’s grip on my waist, and I reflexively reached out and braced my hands on his shoulders.

“You’ve been so jumpy all evening. What’s gotten into you? Have…Have I done something to offend you? If I have, then please, allow me to apologize and give me a chance to make it up to you,” he said, and I noted with horror that there were tears in Tom’s eyes. “Please, (y/n), don’t make me sit here in agonizing silence trying to guess what I have done wrong.”

“Tom, it’s not you…Well, it is, but not in the way that you think,” I said, and I tried to pull out of his grip, but his strong arms were unyielding. “Tom, please—“

“No! I’m not letting you go until you tell me what’s wrong,” he said fiercely, and then his voice softened to nearly a whisper. “(Y/n), please, we’ve been friends for so long. Please, tell me what’s wrong, my darling girl.”

“I wish I could, but I can’t. You’d think I was ridiculous and never want to see me again,” I said, and I could feel myself trembling. Tom must’ve felt it, too, because he drew me as close to him as he could and hugged me. His nose was buried in my hair and his arms held me tightly.

“Oh, my sweet (y/n), you can tell me anything. Whatever gave you the idea that I would think that you’re ridiculous? I would never think that of you,” Tom said. “I’m begging you, now, darling: please, please, tell me what’s wrong.”

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, even though my face was buried in his t-shirt.

“I love you,” I breathed, and I immediately began to sob, because I could imagine the look on his face. He was probably horrified, but he would try to be polite because we’d been friends for so long. I felt his hand stroking my hair, and over my sobs I heard Tom gasp then make soft cooing noises.

“Shh, darling. Is that all?” He asked with a slight chuckle. “Is _that_ what you were afraid to tell me? Oh, (y/n), look at me, dearest.”

I reluctantly did as he asked and I saw Tom smiling at me. He stroked my cheek again, and I couldn’t stop myself from leaning into his touch and covering his hand with mine. I closed my eyes for a moment and when I opened them again, Tom was moving his face closer and closer to mine. I didn’t really know what to do, so I let it happen. His soft lips brushed mine, and then pressed a little harder when he saw that I didn’t pull away. I was frozen for a moment before I began to kiss him back, and when I did he moaned into my mouth and wrapped his arms around me even tighter than before. My fingers tangled in his hair, and I thought: now, I _know_ this is Heaven. We were both panting when we finally pulled apart for air.

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” Tom asked. “(Y/n)…I love you, too. I won’t deny it: I’ve been afraid to tell you for…well, ever since I first met you, I knew I was a goner. Your big, hopeful eyes were filled with such life, such indescribable beauty…I couldn’t help but fall in love with you. Why do you think I keep coming to our movie nights? I want to spend so much more time together, but I was afraid that you’d reject me, or that I’d scare you away. I-I just…I love you so much.”

Our lips met once more, and suddenly I was the one moaning as his tongue flicked across my lips and slipped into my mouth. I’d never been kissed quite like this, and I had a feeling that this wouldn’t be the last time that I was.


End file.
